Winner – The Chronicle of Higher Education: Drew Cloud is a well-known expert on student loans. One problem: He isn’t real.
- Contributors – Chris Quintana, Dan Bauman
- Judges’ Comments – The Chronicle of Higher Education breaks news with impact on a beat where it is very hard to score a scoop. It was enjoyably clever, and shows intrepid reporting in exposing a widely quoted source on student loans as fake. In an era when journalists are under fire for accuracy and sourcing, this exclusive is all the more impressive.